If There's a Hell Below

Film-Noir, Thriller

Feature

Seattle

Abe, an ambitious journalist, and Debra, an idealistic whistle-blower, dodge the mysterious operatives they discover are shadowing them. IF THERE’S A HELL BELOW is a taut, slow-burning thriller about authority and freedom of information, idealism and cynicism, right and wrong.

Wishlist

Use the WishList to contribute cash and loan items - or - Make a contribution by selecting an incentive directly.

Craft Services Food

Craftie keeps the blood sugar stable throughout a long day. Our cast and crew love you for it.

FULFILLED

costs $140

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Coffee

A Pacific Northwest crew will typically consume more coffee than water.

FULFILLED

costs $60

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Ladder - 12’

You know those cool shots where the camera looks down on something? Ladders.

FULFILLED

costs $30

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Other: LED Lights - 1x1 Lite Panel

Daylight exteriors is typically minimal lighting. But minimal does not = zero. This is the light.

$165 to go

costs $345

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

GRIP CART (TACO CART) KIT (Large): Car Rigging / mounts

A car mount lets us put the camera on the outside of the car and shoot in, while the car is moving.

FULFILLED

costs $300

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Picture Car

Picture car number one. The car Abe drives.

FULFILLED

costs $250

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Picture Car

Picture car number two. The mysterious car following Abe and Debra. Spooky...

$175 to go

costs $250

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

GRIP KIT (Small): Sandbags

Sandbags keep things from falling over or blowing away. Those beautiful landscapes can be windy.

FULFILLED

costs $50

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Accessories - Batteries

Batteries make the camera go.

FULFILLED

costs $200

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Makeup Kit

It's not that our actors don't look great without makeup. It's just that... hey, look over there!

FULFILLED

costs $50

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Walkie Talkies

In the old silent days directors got to use those giant megaphones. Progress? Not sure...

FULFILLED

costs $100

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

E-Z Up Tent (10’X15’)

When the hot sun beats overhead, eating lunch in the cool shade of a tent is oh so nice...

FULFILLED

costs $100

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Cooke Uncoated Panchro 21mm

Our widest lens. The wide shots that capture all the action in one tense frame will be this baby.

$500 to go

costs $600

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Cooked Uncoated Panchro 25mm

The 25mm is still a wide lens but in this film's aesthetic it's our workhorse.

$500 to go

costs $600

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Cooke Uncoated Panchro 40mm

For some this is a medium lens, but for this film it's our close-up lens. ala Chinatown.

$600 to go

costs $600

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Cooke Uncoated Panchro 75mm

For those extra special shots of a small moment, clue, or other detail.

$600 to go

costs $600

×
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$

Wardrobe package

IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW all takes place in a two-hour period. So only one set of clothes apiece.

$50 to go

costs $300

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Hotel Room

Springtime in central Washington is gorgeous, but our crew still deserves a roof over their heads.

$750 to go

costs $1,200

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Accessories - Filters

Filters are like spices. Too little and the dish is flat, too much and it's distracting.

FULFILLED

costs $200

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Accessories - Follow Focus

When shooting on location, a remote follow focus helps our AC nail focus in difficult spots.

$750 to go

costs $900

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Hard Drive

Shooting 4K RAW will look real, real nice. But it also takes up a lot of hard drive space.

$1,350 to go

costs $1,500

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Cargo Van

We don't need a camera truck, but we do need a van. Anybody want to donate some sweet detailing?

$900 to go

costs $900

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Canon C500

There are a lot of great new cameras on the market. This is the one ideal for this film.

$1,500 to go

costs $2,000

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

General Liability Insurance

Hey, we know insurance is not that sexy. But not having insurance is really, really not sexy.

$800 to go

costs $1,200

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Accessories - Matteboxes

A camera without a mattebox is like a puppy without a tail. So sad...

$250 to go

costs $250

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Accessories - Stabilizers

We only need a Steadicam for a couple days, but they will be some really special shots.

$500 to go

costs $500

×
How much would you like to contribute?
$

Select This Incentive

$5 USD

INFORMANT.
Receive a public Thank You on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter.

Claimed: 19 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$15 USD

RECRUIT

Downloadable audio content of expanded storyline. The story of IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW begins here, with these exclusive audio recordings. One of our characters is wearing a wire--find out who and what they have to hide in the critical hours before the film begins.

(Plus all of the above.)

Claimed: 16 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$25 USD

OPERATIVE

Downloadable copy of IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW. HD and DRM-Free.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character, journalist Abe Richek. Find out what he's hiding and why someone has been tailing him for weeks.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 58 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$50 USD

SENIOR OPERATIVE

Invitation (+1) to cast/crew private premiere screening in the Seattle area.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character, intelligence analyst Debra Bratton. Find out what she's hiding and why she has been allowed to continue to break the law.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 36 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$75 USD

SENIOR ANALYST

Backers’ Edition DVD of finished film with exclusive content not available on for-sale DVD.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character Aaron Schafer. Find out why he is considered a legend in his field and what he may have to hide.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 12 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$100 USD

INFORMATION ENGINEER

Prop Replica: Flashdrive from the movie loaded with HD copy of finished film, real leaked national security documents, and hidden easter eggs with further expanded storyline content and Behind-the-Scenes production footage.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character Peter Mooney. Find out why the film's final mystery hinges on Mooney's whereabouts.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 58 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$250 USD

FIELD AGENT

Late night dead drop of physical intel files. (Seattle and Portland areas only--otherwise snail-mailed). Pore over surveillance photos and insights on each character with a hard-copy and easter eggs not included in digital version. These items will be "dead dropped" to you at a geo-cached location for you to find and recover. We cannot risk our agents in a face-to-face meeting...

Backers’ Edition DVD of finished film with exclusive content - autographed by key cast & crew.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 7 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$500 USD

SPECIAL AGENT

Exclusive Live-Stream "Surveillance Video" of Film Production. Get your Big Brother on and watch live as cast and crew film a scene on location.

Phone call from lead character in the film. A story comes to a close at the movie's end, but characters lives--and their intrigues--go on. Receive a phone call from one of our characters detailing exclusive information and seeking your help.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 3 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$1,000 USD

SECTOR CHIEF

Custom Spy Getaway Package. Custom-made by our cast and crew! Forged foreign passport with your picture, intelligence file on you based on a phone conversation with one of the agents in our cast, counterfeit foreign money, guide to survival in hostile environ. Optional geo-cached dead drop in Seattle and Portland areas. [Note to FBI: passport and money for fictional country]

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 0 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$1,500 USD

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Associate Producer credit. See your name in lights, and on IMDB.

Dead-dropped real prop from movie. Own a piece of (future) movie history, eerily left at the spot you choose or geo-cached for you to find and recover in the dead of night.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 0 of 4

Select This Incentive

$2,500 USD

[REDACTED]

Invitation to Espionage Dinner Night. The expanded storyline comes to a thrilling conclusion at this exclusive evening of interactive storytelling. And you will play a starring role! This is a thrilling evening of intrigue where you rub shoulders with our lead actors... and maybe one or two other lucky backers.

Enjoy a gourmet meal as tension builds over dinner, where you hold the key to the story's conclusion. We will write your part around your personality and your participation comfort level. If you ever wanted to star in your own spy thriller, or just observe it in person, inches away from the action, this will be an evening you'll always remember.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 0 of 4
The Story

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Website

About The Project

IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW is a piece of entertainment. Above all else, we want to tell a gripping story--full of hidden layers and surprises.

But it's no accident this is a topical movie, set in a fictional but resonant context. It's a film about whistleblowers and journalists--and perhaps of those who might want to impede them--of the line between security and personal freedoms, of the truth and who owns it.

The growth of state and corporate surveillance of our daily lives is powerful, unresolved issue. So many topics today neatly drive us into our chosen tribal affiliations—left vs. right, urban vs. rural, “coastal elites” vs. “flyover country.” The issue of surveillance and personal liberty transcends our partisan battle lines—it confounds us, challenges us, and unsettles us.

IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW distills this vexing issue into a piece of thought-provoking entertainment: a thrilling drama that asks provocative questions but offers no easy answers. It is a waking nightmare: a story about not what has happened or will happen but what can happen.

I hope you join us on this adventure.

-Nathan Williams

Incentives

Select This Incentive

$5 USD

INFORMANT.
Receive a public Thank You on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter.

Claimed: 19 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$15 USD

RECRUIT

Downloadable audio content of expanded storyline. The story of IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW begins here, with these exclusive audio recordings. One of our characters is wearing a wire--find out who and what they have to hide in the critical hours before the film begins.

(Plus all of the above.)

Claimed: 16 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$25 USD

OPERATIVE

Downloadable copy of IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW. HD and DRM-Free.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character, journalist Abe Richek. Find out what he's hiding and why someone has been tailing him for weeks.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 58 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$50 USD

SENIOR OPERATIVE

Invitation (+1) to cast/crew private premiere screening in the Seattle area.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character, intelligence analyst Debra Bratton. Find out what she's hiding and why she has been allowed to continue to break the law.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 36 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$75 USD

SENIOR ANALYST

Backers’ Edition DVD of finished film with exclusive content not available on for-sale DVD.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character Aaron Schafer. Find out why he is considered a legend in his field and what he may have to hide.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 12 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$100 USD

INFORMATION ENGINEER

Prop Replica: Flashdrive from the movie loaded with HD copy of finished film, real leaked national security documents, and hidden easter eggs with further expanded storyline content and Behind-the-Scenes production footage.

Digital Surveillance File on lead character. Get your hands on a backers-only copy of a surveillance file, featuring exclusive content, photos, and audio of lead character Peter Mooney. Find out why the film's final mystery hinges on Mooney's whereabouts.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 58 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$250 USD

FIELD AGENT

Late night dead drop of physical intel files. (Seattle and Portland areas only--otherwise snail-mailed). Pore over surveillance photos and insights on each character with a hard-copy and easter eggs not included in digital version. These items will be "dead dropped" to you at a geo-cached location for you to find and recover. We cannot risk our agents in a face-to-face meeting...

Backers’ Edition DVD of finished film with exclusive content - autographed by key cast & crew.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 7 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$500 USD

SPECIAL AGENT

Exclusive Live-Stream "Surveillance Video" of Film Production. Get your Big Brother on and watch live as cast and crew film a scene on location.

Phone call from lead character in the film. A story comes to a close at the movie's end, but characters lives--and their intrigues--go on. Receive a phone call from one of our characters detailing exclusive information and seeking your help.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 3 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$1,000 USD

SECTOR CHIEF

Custom Spy Getaway Package. Custom-made by our cast and crew! Forged foreign passport with your picture, intelligence file on you based on a phone conversation with one of the agents in our cast, counterfeit foreign money, guide to survival in hostile environ. Optional geo-cached dead drop in Seattle and Portland areas. [Note to FBI: passport and money for fictional country]

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 0 of 'Unlimited'

Select This Incentive

$1,500 USD

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Associate Producer credit. See your name in lights, and on IMDB.

Dead-dropped real prop from movie. Own a piece of (future) movie history, eerily left at the spot you choose or geo-cached for you to find and recover in the dead of night.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 0 of 4

Select This Incentive

$2,500 USD

[REDACTED]

Invitation to Espionage Dinner Night. The expanded storyline comes to a thrilling conclusion at this exclusive evening of interactive storytelling. And you will play a starring role! This is a thrilling evening of intrigue where you rub shoulders with our lead actors... and maybe one or two other lucky backers.

Enjoy a gourmet meal as tension builds over dinner, where you hold the key to the story's conclusion. We will write your part around your personality and your participation comfort level. If you ever wanted to star in your own spy thriller, or just observe it in person, inches away from the action, this will be an evening you'll always remember.

(Plus all of the above)

Claimed: 0 of 4
Updates
<< Back to All Updates
The Team

Current Team

About This Team

A few key talents already committed to the project.

WRITER/DIRECTOR- Nathan Williams’s short films have played at festivals locally and worldwide, including the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Vienna Independent Shorts, Bumbershoot’s One Reel Festival , Hamburg Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Northwest Film Forum’s Local Sightings, Tallgrass Film Festival, and Dances With Films.

ACTOR – Carol Roscoe is an award-winning actor who has worked on stages in Chicago, NYC, Washington D.C., London, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Her film work includes the cult hit Gamers: Dorkness Rising, and its sequel Gamers: Hands of Fate, in addition to several others.

ACTOR - Conner Marx is an actor who has worked in New Orleans, Seattle, Malaysia, and Los Angeles. He is a veteran of stage, television, and films, including TNT’s Leverage and the Toni Collette-starring film Lucky Them.

ACTOR - Mark Carr has appeared in films, video games, television, and stage productions. He does his thing in Seattle, Washington. When he isn't acting, he produces.

ACTOR - Paul Budraitis is an actor and director who has done extensive work in the Seattle theatre community. His film appearances include The Incredible Vibrating Man, The Water Tale, and Improvement Club, as well as Utterly Alone, an historical epic Jonas Vaitkus about the Lithuanian resistance movement after Word War II.

CINEMATOGRAPHER - Christopher Messina is a filmmaker and cinematographer, making experimental, narrative and documentary films. His work has been programmed in festivals and galleries around the world. This is his fourth collaboration as cinematographer with Nathan Williams.

1st AC - Margaret Longley has a passion for documentary, ethnographic, and art films. Currently based in Seattle, she has lived and worked in Russia, Iraq, Tanzania, Togo, Vietnam, and Mexico. Her feature credits include Touchy Feely, Laggies, and the Oscar-nominated Iraq in Fragments.

CO-PRODUCER - Justin Schardin is an associate director at [redacted]. He has worked as a senior policy advisor in the U.S. Senate, as political organizer, a radio personality, and a journalist. He led a highly successful marketing and technology services company for ten years.

CO-PRODUCER – Trevor Joyce is a filmmaker specializing in the creation of narrative, documentary, and corporate content. He has worked as a Digital Cinema Producer on award-winning, major studio releases such as Black Swan and on prominent national advertising campaigns for clients such as Google and Nike. As an independent producer and director he has shot worldwide, from China to Germany to Easter Island.

CO-WRITER - Matthew Williams previously collaborated with his brother Nathan Williams on their Washington Filmworks Innovation Lab-awarded feature script The Servant.
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